Sen. Pat Toomey is again holding up his own nominations for federal court positions, failing to return his blue slips for four PA judges.
Judges Susan Baxter, Marilyn Horan, John Younge and Robert Colville were praised in July by Toomey and Sen. Bob Casey as more than capable to serve on the federal district court in PA.
For the most part, blue slips are just a formality, a form for both home-state senators to show their support.
The Senate Judiciary Committee cannot begin confirmation hearings until both home-state senators have returned their “blue slips,” though Toomey maintains he is just waiting for the committee to complete their background checks on the four judges.* Casey returned his four blue slips in August.
“These nominees possess a wealth of legal experience from their work in both the public and private sectors,” Toomey said in July. “I am confident that they have the acumen, integrity and respect for the limited role of the judiciary that they need to excel as federal judges.”
Toomey has more outstanding blue slips than any Senator, Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post reports. Toomey was criticized by Democrats in May for taking six months longer than Sen. Casey to return his blue slip for Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo.
Restrepo was nominated by President Obama to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for 3rd Circuit last November but is still waiting for his confirmation process to begin.
“As he has regularly done with other judicial nominees, Senator Toomey looks forward to each of them successfully completing the Senate Judiciary Committee’s background investigation so he can submit the corresponding blue slips immediately thereafter to ensure that the confirmation process continues without delay,” Toomey spokeswoman E.R. Anderson told HuffPo.
*The original version of this article stated that the confirmation process can not begin until a blue slip is submitted. It has been corrected to state that hearings can’t be held until the blue slip is submitted but the process can still continue.
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15 Responses
If he was my employee, I would demote him and possibly fire him for incompetence. These federal judgeship’s go with the territory of being a senator. The inexpiable holdup makes you wonder if Toomey is really up to the job. A perfect example of the “Peter Principle”
Go back to Wall Street Pat!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle
Just say NO to Repervlicans in PA.
The Daily News reported last month that Repervlican – Eakin had sent off-color emails to a senior deputy attorney general and had received emails poking fun at African-Americans, Mexicans, Muslims, women and gays.
The head of the Judicial Review Board, Repervlican Robert Graci, cleared Eakin of any wrongdoing, writing Eakin a letter saying how much he appreciated Eakin’s “cooperation.” What wasn’t publicly disclosed is that Graci is a friend of Eakin’s who helped Eakin get re-elected when he was up for retention in 2011.
News clips from 2011 describe Graci as a “longtime Eakin friend” and a “campaign spokesman” who was quoted defending Eakin’s prolific fundraising. Eakin was retained in that election for a second 10-year term on the high court.
Legal ethics experts say Graci’s relationship with Eakin is a potential conflict of interest that should have been publicly disclosed.
Read for yourself:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20151111_Glaring_conflict_in_Porngate_probe_.html#bL87TLvcKqEbRbBw.99
Bill Walsh for Senate. Many thanks to Joe Sestak for the support.
This is Pat Toomey. He classically says one thing and votes another. He is a Growrh Fund, Heritage Fund, Koch Brothers , Special Interests Flunky. He fools people about issues because of his rhetoric on the issues. When it comes time to vote in the Senate this clown always votes for special interests against common people. On Veterans Day the best example of Toomey’s duplicity is in public meetings Toomey talks constantly about supporting Veterans. The fact of the matter is it is just talk. Toomey has voted against all 12 Veterans Legislation Bills that has been voted on in the five years he has been in the Senate. Pennsylvania can do better. Vote Toomey out next year.
Toomey is far from an amateur–that is why we need Admiral Joe Sestak to take him down and out.
Here is a thought for Toomey….if background checks are so important, why would you give a speech praising these nominees BEFORE the background checks were done??? This guy is an amateur, and McGinty will makes minced meat of him
@jmarshak
That’s not the point. Too bad you don’t get it.
:-/
H3-
I challenge you to find one single comment anywhere in the archives of this website where I’ve ever mentioned Benghazi. Just one.
Not as old as;
BENGHAZi !!!!!!!!!
And you morons are still yelling that.
With all the trouble PA has been having with judges lately, is this really a bad thing? I would want a background check too.
And H3, get some new material. The clown car line is really getting old.
Toomey too busy at his parties with TEA.
Is this the old Robert Colville or a new hereditary one?
I actually find it un-American at this point for Senators to obfuscate their Constitutional duties and place qualified judges in a co-equal branch of government. You are failing the people who elected you to represent them.
Club for Growth stooge.
This guy should be in the Clown Car Hall of Fame. Can’t wait to vote for a D in 2016. One-Term-Patty